UFC legend Rory MacDonald retired from MMA at 33 and he’s rarely ever looked back.
The former Bellator welterweight champion is one of the sport’s biggest what-ifs for what followed his epic title rematch against Robbie Lawler at UFC 189 in 2015.
Considered ‘the most vicious fight in UFC history’ for MacDonald’s broken nose, Lawler’s split open lip and so much blood, many believe MacDonald was never quite the same after a brutal fifth-round TKO loss.
MacDonald retired from MMA in 2022 after a 2-4 stint in the PFL. Before his war with Lawler, a 25-year-old MacDonald was thought to be Canada’s next Georges St-Pierre. MacDonald was at one point 18-2 as a pro with high-level skills and wins over BJ Penn, Tyron Woodley and Nate Diaz.
Now 35, MacDonald was welcomed back to the UFC, not as an active fighter (like some fans want to see), but instead a guest speaker at UFC 315.
There, one of the UFC’s most violent competitors was asked if he’d ever return to the Octagon…
Rory MacDonald says he doesn’t have the ‘drive’ or ‘intensity’ to compete in the UFC anymore
Almost nine years removed from his last UFC appearance against Stephen ‘Wonderboy’ Thompson and three years into his retirement, MacDonald is brutally honest on the idea of fighting in the UFC again.
“I mean, from time to time, [the itch] has come back,” MacDonald said at a UFC 315 Q&A.
“But shortly after, when I actually think about it and what it entails, I’m not that kind of person anymore.
“I don’t have the drive, the intensity it takes to be at a championship level anymore.
“Sometimes it’s nice to dream when you’re having a lot of coffee or something, but when the reality comes back down to it… no, it’s not for me anymore,” MacDonald said of a UFC return.
Rory MacDonald’s life after the UFC
Once the second-best welterweight in the world, MacDonald entered free agency in 2016 and signed with Bellator MMA where he became the promotion’s champion in his second fight.
MacDonald defeated the likes of Paul Daley and Douglas Lima before challenging for middleweight gold against former UFC fighter Gegard Mousasi. He’d lose by second-round TKO.
MacDonald went 1-1-1 in his next three fights and lost his title to Lima in their rematch in 2019.
The Canadian wouldn’t have any luck in the PFL where he dropped four of his last five fights, calling it a career after a first-round TKO loss to Dilano Taylor in Aug. 2022.
Happily retired, Rory MacDonald is a family man who spends his days managing a number of rental properties and day-trading.
